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Thursday, November 16, 2006

Thai Trips Tumble to Australia

Thai Travellers Opt For Similarly Priced European Packages or Stay Closer to Home in Asia .
Tourism Australia ’s Thailand Travel office manager, Thongchai Wibulsaksakul said the number of Thai visitors to Australia fell 6% during September compared to the same month last year.

Mr Thongchai

said the drop in performance is mostly due to the similarity in package prices between Australia and Europe , and passengers prefer travelling to Europe , as it involves varied multi-destination options using a single visa.

Thais also tend to select Asian destinations

such as Japan and Korea , during an economic slowdown, as short-haul trips are less expensive. Of the total outbound trips, 80 persent visited neighbouring Asian countries, while only 20 persent headed for Europe , the Americas , South Africa and Australia .

Mr. Thongchai

added that next year Tourism Australia is planning to integrate its management resources to boost outbound figures, and is now in the process of negotiating with partners and airlines to finalise deals.